Water, Ice and Bubbles in Lily LakeEvery winter I wait for ice to skate on or snow to ski on. It often snows, but immediately rain and ice spoil the fluffy beauty making it unsuitable for skiing. Even more often it snows just as the lakes are freezing, which spoils the ice for skating. This week had both good snow and good ice! La...

Amazing Nature: Animals find home through unfamiliar territoryOn Christmas Day I took my dog for what I had planned to be a nice walk at the park. I have trained and practiced with her a lot, and now she is what a friend of mine called a “part-time-good-dog,” which means she listens perfectly — most of the time. She has the ability to step behind a tree and...

Amazing Nature: Sea angels and sea butterflies swirl through the oceansIt is the Christmas season and the occasional snowflake is making its way to the ground on a cold day. On my walk along the shore of Mill Bay I feel a chill wind, and the sight of the ocean surface is anything but inviting. The gray waves and their whitecaps look dangerously cold. Nonetheless, I ...

Amazing Nature: Fruits of the ocean aren't always tastyThe day is foggy and gray, the air so heavy with water that breathing almost feels like one needs gills. As I retreat to my couch and procrastinate, I look at the beautiful arrangement of fruits that a friend gave me during the past holidays. Apples, oranges, pears, and pomegranate are joining th...

Amazing Nature: Maritime Science class teaches skills for life near oceanIf you were not born in Kodiak, ask yourself why life has placed you here. For most readers, the answer has something to do with Kodiak’s place in the productive North Pacific Ocean. People live in Kodiak because of fishing, seafood processing, fishing management or research, the Coast Guard, or ...

Amazing Nature: Comb jellies on planet OceanThe scene is a vast, dark open space with occasional sparkles of light. Two vessels approach each other, slowly moving through the weightless space, assessing the other’s intentions. This scene could describe an encounter out of a Star Trek movie, but the vessels in this encounter could have been...

Amazing Nature: Lessons from oil spillsThe most rewarding part about teaching is to see students become involved, begin to own the information given to them and take off on new academic adventures. It is a beautiful experience when a student brings a new tool or source of information to the class, thus teaching the teacher. This morni...

Amazing Nature: Awareness day for octopus and squidThis Monday I heard a report on the local radio station about International Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day. At first, my reaction was “tri- what awareness day?” As such radio programs educate the ignorant (like me), it went on to explain that Trigeminal Neuralgia is a rare, incurable and extr...